


A Fox's Advances

by sunshineboyagreste



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Gets a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Angst, F/M, Gabriel's A+ parenting, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Lila Rossi Bashing, Manipulative Lila Rossi, Protect Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, lila makes adrien uncomfortable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28162164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineboyagreste/pseuds/sunshineboyagreste
Summary: A lot of girls had crushes on Adrien Agreste. Whether they were fangirls or people he knew, Adrien got a lot of attention from the opposite sex, but was never really taught on how to deal with it. Especially when that attention is unwanted AND from a particularly manipulative girl. When a liar makes advances on a non-confrontational boy, who will get what they want?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Lila Rossi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 101
Kudos: 343





	1. Chapter 1

Adrien Agreste thought there would be nothing sweeter in life than going to public school, but there was one thing that was even better (if fighting crime alongside his lady wasn’t counted, as Adrien never really planned on being one of Paris’ saviors). The days when he would walk in the classroom and a particular girl with brown hair and a red jacket was nowhere to be seen had to be his favorites. Unluckily for him, today was not one of these days. Adrien had the _absolute_ _pleasure_ of sharing a desk with Lila Rossi. 

The young model had to deal with crazy fangirls all the time, he was two of the top teen idols after all, but something about the way _Lila_ touched him was… unsettling. Girls constantly tried to grab his hand, hang off him, and smell his hair on the streets, so why did this feel so different? Maybe it was because Lila had power that could rival the mayor’s daughter herself. Lila could twist _anything_ in her favor without anyone so much as batting an eye. That fact could make even Hawk Moth shake in his boots (well, it would if his civilian self wasn’t in cahoots with said girl). 

Lila, unlike ma-ma-Marinette, was very upfront about her affection towards the blond. As the bell rang, Adrien didn’t miss the fact that she had plopped herself to his right on the bench. And how could he, as her hand ventured to his thigh when Mme. Bustier turned around to write the daily objectives on the board. His skin squirmed at her touch, but she didn’t move away, even when he crossed his right leg over the left in a fruitless attempt to widen the distance between them. And with her sitting on his right, her left hand could stay there while she took notes with her right. 

“Can you um… not touch me?” Adrien whispered as to not draw Mme. Bustier’s attention. The boy really didn’t want to get told off for talking during class. 

He looked around the room to see if anyone noticed the small gesture, and even Nino seemed oblivious. He glanced up towards Marinette, who was sitting alone in the back, but her head was (very purposefully) buried in her textbook. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the board and away from the unwelcome appendage on his leg. 

Time seemed to pass at a snail’s pace and Lila only made it go slower. ‘Did she have time warping powers she didn’t tell me about?’ Adrien thought. The girl moved her hand from his thigh to on the top of the backrest so she could bring her side flush with his. For the first time since he had walked in the room, Adrien looked at her. The look she returned through her eyelashes was _supposed_ to be flirty but just made Adrien uncomfortable. As she leaned gradually closer to him, the pit in his stomach only grew. Being able to feel the warmth radiating off her body made him sick. The hungry look in those olive eyes made him sick. Her overwhelming perfume made him sick. The feeling of fingers on his thigh after they had long gone made him sick. Adrien didn’t realize that this feeling wasn’t just in his head until he felt his breakfast travelling up his throat. 

In that moment, Adrien could’ve represented France in the Olympics as he jumped up and ran towards the trash bin faster than Usain Bolt. If he hadn’t been seated in the front row, he probably wouldn’t have made it. The entire class sat in udder shock as they watched their famous classmate empty his stomach in front of them. After his slender frame convulsed for the last time, embarrassment was an understatement for what he was feeling. He probably looked worse than he felt. Luckily for his pride, Mme. Bustier gave him a look filled only with concern for his wellbeing and most of his classmates did the same – though some couldn’t hide their gags. 

“Adrien, why don’t you go to the nurse’s office? Grab your things too in case you need to go home.” Adrien walked back to his desk and put his tablet and textbooks in his backpack like Mme. Bustier instructed. With one final look at the class over his shoulder, he shut the door and started towards the nurse. 

Adrien had conflicting emotions swirling around his head that only drained his energy more. He was endlessly thankful to get an excuse (albeit not the most dignifying) to get as far away from Lila as he could. However, it was Lila who had forced him out of being at school, the one thing he could rely on when he wanted to spend time with his friends. When your father is Gabriel Agreste, you learn to treasure every opportunity of freedom you can get; and that nasty fox was making him start to dread it. 

He didn’t feel like he was going to throw up again and had told the nurse that, but he didn’t put up as much of a fight against leaving school as he would’ve on any other day. One signed note from the nurse and a ride in the Agreste sedan later, Adrien was back in his room. When he pulled his phone out of his back pocket, the time read 9:03 am. He hadn’t been in class for more than an hour and Adrien knew he’d get a lecture about it later. With a gargantuan sigh, Adrien flopped face first onto his couch. 

“What’s so bad about staying home? Now we can kick back, relax, and eat some camembert! I can’t think of a better way to spend a Tuesday.” Adrien didn’t even bother to look over towards the lazy black blob floating out of his bag. 

“You okay, kid?” Plagg ventured as he nestled himself in the blond’s hair. Said boy simply gave a muffled noise of agreement. Though it had barely begun, today had been a long day. His father wouldn’t mind if he just laid there would he? Adrien didn’t get to answer that question before he fell asleep with his face still buried in the white cushions. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Under the impression that they'll be studying, Nathalie leaves Adrien and a friend in his room. Alone.

Nathalie checked up on the sleeping boy a few times throughout the day. The assistant normally would have woken him so he could at least do his extracurriculars, but she deemed it appropriate to let him rest for now if he was truly sick. 

It was now afternoon and w hile she was sitting at her desk filling out paperwork for something or other, she heard the doorbell ring. The  person that popped up on the computer screen was none other than Lila Rossi waiting patiently outside the gate.

“Hi!  I came over in hopes that I could help Adrien catch up on what he missed in class!” Lila spoke to the security intercom in a chipper tone.

“That’s very thoughtful Lila. I’m sure Mr. Agreste won’t mind your visit as long as you leave before Adrien’s piano lesson in an hour.”

“Of course!” Lila all but skipped into the mansion once the gates opened before her. Nathalie met her at the front door and walked her to Adrien’s room.

“Adrien, you have a visitor here to fill you in on what you missed today,” Nathalie said as she knocked on the door. Said boy, who had been scrolling mindlessly through his phone after waking up a couple minutes prior , bolted  upright . People were rarely allowed inside the mansion!

“Coming!” He called out as he jumped off the couch.  ‘ Had Nino really been let in ?  I thought Father banned him… maybe it’s Alya or Marinette? Father likes Marinette, maybe he’d allow her to  t utor me,’ He thought as he walked towards the door. But when he opened  it , he was utterly shocked to see who was standing next to Nathalie.

“ Oh hi Lila,” he said with as much of a controlled voice as he could muster. What he really wanted to do was slam the door in her face. Even if Nathalie wasn’t there though, he  probably wouldn’t have done  so  anyway. Adrien was far too polite and accommodating to do something like that, and besides, he didn’t want her to get  akumatized again. The fights with her were some of the worst he’d had to deal with. Besides, he didn’t want to give her a reason to turn the class against him. If the class started hating him and word got out, that would be a PR disaster, and then his father would  be so upset and  pull him from school and-

“Hi Adrien! I felt so bad  for you today! I figured that being confused on a boatload of missed work wouldn’t make you feel any better so here I am,” Lila said in a  sickly-sweet tone, pushing past him and entering the room. Adrien held back a grimace. ‘She’s acting like she’s Ladybug here to save the day.’ He thought. In his mind, comparing  Ladybug to Lila was like comparing prime rib to a McDonald’s wrapper discarded behind a dumpster.

“ Well, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll be back five minutes before your piano lesson starts so you’ll have time to pack up.”

“You’re leaving Nathalie?” Adrien tried to keep the desperation out of his voice.

“Yes. I have pressing things to do. I trust you’ll behave yourselves.” And with that, Adrien was left with his mouth agape as he watched the older woman’s retreating figure. He. Was. Alone. With.  _ Lila. _

“Let’s get started right away,” Lila cooed as she wrapped her arm around his, leading him to his desk, “I’d hate to spend all of our time together doing homework so let’s get it done quickly!” 

Adrien let himself get pushed into his chair, not having the energy to resist , as he knew Lila would only  try harder to get him to bend to her will if he didn’t obey .

He tried to ignore the way she didn’t sit down in a chair herself, instead choosing to stand behind him and hang her arms around his neck as she leaned forwards to look at the book. He tried to ignore the way she was more focused on him than what she was supposedly there for. He tried to ignore her hot breath on his skin as she gossiped about which classmates did what while he was gone. He really did. Adrien prided himself on his ability to stay in a calm, collected state like a proper young man should. But this, once again,started to be all too much for him.

He had dealt with Chloé attacking him with a hug and hanging off him every morning,had photographers and designers poking and prodding him to get his outfit to hang just right since before he could remember, and was constantly in close proximity with Ladybug when they tackled each other out of the way to dodge attacks. But forty-five minutes of Lila Rossi was enough for Adrien Agreste.

The boy jumped out of his desk chair like it was made of fire the next time she leaned in close. That fox looked at him with feigned confusion, but Adrien could see right through it.  She knew what she  was doing.  The act made him sick again and he seriously considered if throwing up again would be better than whatever this was.

“Adrien, we still have fifteen minutes left!” Lila all but whined as she slowly stalked towards him , the boy  responding with unsteady steps backwards.

His mouth flapped open a couple times as his brain went into overdrive looking for an excuse.

“I-I uh em…” Adrien began as Lila continued to approach, “Well I uh think I understand everything I missed today so uh I-”

She put a finger to his lips and her mouth spread into a smile. “I’m not supposed to leave until you r piano lesson starts,” she looked away from him for a second in fake coyness “we could always have some fun while we wait.”

Adrien didn’t like where this was going. Fun? When had being with Lila ever been fun?

The girl pressed her hands against his chest and Adrien’s stomach did backflips. He tried to  move backwards again , but there was nowhere to go. His calf only hit the side of his bed, making him lose balance, and sending the two falling onto  it . The predicament they ended up in wasn’t to his liking either –  Adrien was lying flat on his back and Lila was on top of him.

“Well… I suppose this works too.” Lila said as her eyes flitted down to his lips. ‘Oh god. Does she think I want this?’ Adrien wondered if he hadn’t been straightforward enough in his rejections of her advances.

“Lila, I don’t- can you get off?” He was practically begging at this point. She was now straddling him, arms placed on either side of his head. Adrien was sure he was strong enough to push her off, but his body wouldn’t move. ‘I’m expected to save Paris from a terrorist every day but I can’t even stand up against one teenage girl?’ Adrien internally chided himself.

“Any other teenage boy would be lucky to be in this situation!” The girl said with a pout.  Apparently she was done waiting because she  dove down,  attaching her lips to his neck. Adrien shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the body  on top of his and the kisses that trailed up to his jawline.  Her perfume once more filled his nostrils , completely envelop ing him. He felt claustrophobic, cornered, and invaded. He had nowhere to go – no one to cry  for help to. But Lila didn’t care about any of that.  She pressed herself up for a moment, admiring the sticky marks her lip-gloss left. Her eyes locked with Adrien’s,  whose looked like a wounded animal’s.

‘Surely she’ll stop here, right?’ Adrien thought, but his silence was only permission to continue in Lila’s eyes.

She removed her left hand from beside his head and for a second, Adrien thought she was actually going to stop before it rested on his hip. Slowly, she slid her hand under his shirt,  its warmth evoking a shiver from the boy.  ‘No no no no no no no no’ his brain chanted over and over, as if repeating it would make  her stop. He tilted his chin up at her, eyebrows downturned , throat too dry to speak .  Her hand made its way up his stomach and towards his chest,  the classic Agreste brand shirt rising up along with it.  Tears pricked his eyes as he clenched his jaw.  Moving her right hand to  his side , she leaned down, inching closer and closer to Adrien’s lips. 

‘Not like this! I  don’t want Lila as my first kiss! I want it to be different!’ Adrien screamed inside his head, but his thoughts died on his tongue when he tried to voice them. He was utterly trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know 350 hits in one day doesn't seem like a lot but I honestly wasn't expecting it for my first fanfic on here?!?! I probably only expected about 50 people to see it :,). But yeah thanks so much for the support! I'm glad so many people are invested in the story. After all, I decided to write this because I wanted to read a fanfic where Lila's actions towards Adrien are addressed but there aren't really a lot in this genre? I already have the third chapter written but I'm gonna read over it a couple times to make sure there are no mistakes or anything~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected dinner guest and a certain spotted heroine both have many questions to ask.

The sound of someone knocking on the door made Lila pause, and she had only seconds to pull down his shirt and scramble off him before Nathalie came into the room. 

“We thought studying on Adrien’s bed would be more comfortable than at his desk!” Lila said as she gave her most blinding grin. “Besides, there’s only one chair,” she added at the sight of Nathalie’s quirked brow. The older woman wasn’t quite sure how effectively Adrien could be studying if he was laying down, but she didn’t have time to address it. 

“Adrien, your piano lesson starts in five minutes. Thank you for coming Lila, but it’s time for you to leave.” Albeit a bit disgruntled, Lila picked up her things and waved goodbye to her hosts. Behind Nathalie’s back, she blew a kiss at the blond and exited the room for what Adrien hoped would be the last time. 

The boy sat down on the piano bench shakily, not particularly in the mood to play. Still, with Nathalie in the room, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. He had trained himself to push his emotions down and his body felt hollow as he nervously rested his fingers on the keys. After two hours of half-hearted practice, it was finally dinnertime. 

Adrien followed Nathalie into the dining room, eyes glued to the floor and his usual posture replaced with rounded shoulders. The blond was a bit startled to see his father sitting at the far end of the table. That was, until he remembered the morning’s debacle. 

Clearing his throat, Adrien straightened his back and nervously greeted the man. “Hello father.” 

“Adrien, I was told you went home early today. Something about being sick?” 

“…Yes. I feel better now though.” The pair’s meals were set in front of them and Adrien was grateful for a distraction from his father’s cold, piercing gaze. 

“Well it must not have been that serious then.” Gabriel scoffed. Adrien gave the man an apologetic nod as he prodded his food with his fork. 

“I-“ 

“Adrien, do I need to remind you what I said about playing with your food?” 

“I apologize father.” It wasn’t like he had an appetite anyway. 

“I permitted you to attend public school with the expectation that you would stay on your best behavior and keep up with your extracurriculars. But here you are, missing an entire day’s worth of learning, undoubtedly causing you to fall behind…” 

“Sir, not to interrupt but Lila did help Adrien catch up on his schoolwork this afternoon.” 

“Thank you, Nathalie, but doesn’t make up for the fact that he missed fencing and Chinese lessons as well.” 

“I’ll work extra hard tomorrow, father. I apologize.” Adrien bit back a sob as he stared at his lap. He had, once again, disappointed his father. 

“We have the best dietitians, nutritionists, and personal trainers working with you Adrien, I just don’t understand how you could’ve gotten sick. Have you not been following their plans and advice?” 

“No…” Adrien trailed off. ‘Do I tell him about Lila? If he didn’t take me being sick well… what are the chances of him being understanding now? Would he even believe me?’ He shifted uncomfortably. ‘If he did, would he pull me out of school? Think I’m too weak to handle myself in public? That’s the first thing he’d do if he found out. I can’t go back to homeschooling – I just can’t!’ 

Adrien bit his lip, deciding to suck it up and stay quiet. 

“If you don’t have an explanation, and you do not plan on eating any more of your meal, you’re dismissed. I have important plans to attend to.” Gabriel stood up, walking out of the room with hands clasped behind his back. The younger boy regained his bearings and stood up stiffly, heading once more towards his room. 

He and Ladybug had arranged to go on patrol in thirty minutes, but Adrien couldn’t stand to be in his room any longer. Lila’s advances replayed over and over in his mind, getting no less disturbing each time. He had to get out of there. 

Calling on his transformation, the boy leapt out of his prison. Running across rooftops with the wind rustling his hair gave Adrien the sense of freedom that he’d longed for all day. 

Ladybug knew that, for whatever reason, Chat liked to spend more time in the suit than she did. He’d mentioned something about how being a superhero was an escape for him, but she didn’t ask him to expand on that further for risk of exposing secret identities. So, the spotted heroine didn’t think much when she saw him already sitting on the Eiffel Tower. And here she was thinking _she’d_ been early for patrol. 

When Ladybug landed behind him, he didn’t even notice her arrival. ‘Huh.’ Didn’t he have super hearing or something? 

Something about him was a little off. His usual bravado was… missing. It wasn’t often that Ladybug got to see Chat’s sensitive side – it was usually just wide smiles and waggling eyebrows. But now he looked almost… fragile. Like any sudden movement would cause the boy to shatter. 

“Hey Chat,” she said softly as she sat next to him on the edge of the platform. 

“Ladybug!” He responded with a start. He hoped the hollowness of his crooked smile wasn’t obvious. 

So he really _hadn’t_ noticed her. ‘No M’lady? No Bugaboo? Not even an LB?’ Ladybug thought idly. She tried to brush off the worry nagging the back of her mind. 

Chat only kept eye contact for a few seconds before looking to the side. Ladybug chewed on her lip as silence overtook the two. After a bit, she decided to watch him out of the corner of her eye. She took in his side profile – ears were flat against his head, the corners of his mouth tugged downwards, and hands clasped together in his lap. She didn’t think those green eyes that were so vibrant yesterday could ever look so dull. Clearly, something was wrong. But should she dare ask? Did she dare start chipping away at that careful wall she’d built up between them to keep their identities safe? Was it something he would even want to share? 

“Um Chat–“ 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir and Ladybug have a heart to heart.

Chat interrupted her, standing up as he spoke in a distant tone. “I think it’s about time we should start patrolling.” 

He was ready to jump away, and Ladybug had only seconds to react. So, when she grabbed him by the wrist, Chat couldn’t help but instinctively recoil from the sudden contact. Upon seeing the panicked look in her partner’s eyes, Ladybug released her grip. 

‘Huh.’ He’d never reacted like _that_ before. 

“Sorry Ladybug, you caught me by surprise,” Chat rasped, still trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. ‘This is Ladybug, not Lila. Ladybug, not Lila.’ 

“Patrol can wait just a bit,” she motioned for him to sit back down, “I was just wondering if something happened.” 

Something _had_ happened. But how was he supposed to tell Ladybug that? With his luck, he’d probably let something slip that would reveal himself. 

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’, trying to keep a casual front, but the blond couldn’t help but avert his gaze. 

“Something did happen,” Ladybug deadpanned. He was being suffocatingly stubborn. 

“Well…” Chat still didn’t look at his lady as he spoke, letting the blinking lights of nighttime Paris wash over him. He closed his eyes, steeling himself for what he was about to say next. “Have you ever… been touched?” 

‘Touched? Where did that come from?’ The bluenette gave him a quizzical look. He wasn’t giving her much to work with. 

The next words that left his lips were so soft that they almost got lost in the wind. “When you didn’t want it?” 

Ladybug hummed as she deliberated her response. “Well, I suppose sometimes civilians try to give me high-fives or hugs when my transformation’s about to wear off but–“ 

Chat’s heavy sigh broke her off. “No like… as a civilian” 

The girl pressed her lips into a thin line, and she racked her brain. Sometimes Adrien would put his hand on her shoulder, but she knew it was a reassuring gesture and if she was being honest, she wouldn’t mind his hands exploring other areas of– 

Nope! Now was not the time to get sidetracked by her romantic fantasies! 

“Uh… I don’t think so. Why?” She still couldn’t figure out what he was getting at here. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Clearly it’s not!” 

“I–“ 

“You don’t have to go into detail but if something’s bothering you it’s my responsibility as your partner to help you out!” 

Chat pursed his lips. That girl could be so stubborn sometimes. 

“Let’s say there’s this person I know who is very…” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “affectionate. She invades my space a lot and I don’t think it’s on accident either.” 

“I’m guessing you’ve told her to stop?” Ladybug felt her temper rising. She couldn’t help but feel a little protective of Chat, whoever he was, but she had to calm herself down so he could continue. 

“Yeah. Though I’m not really good at asserting myself as a civilian, I’ve made it clear that I’m not interested in her like _that_.” 

“She sounds awful.” Ladybug said sympathetically, causing Chat to chuckle wryly. 

“She is.” ‘You’ve met her’ he wanted to add, but Chat held his tongue. Sharing his experiences with Lila in vague terms was risky enough already. 

“If she gets too close again, don’t be afraid to tell her off. You could also tell your parents. They probably know how to handle it better than I do.” 

‘If only it were that easy,’ he thought. Maybe he’d hold off on divulging what had happened in his bedroom earlier that day. He was feeling quite drained from the conversation already. 

“Thanks Bugaboo.” 

“Any time.” 

Ladybug didn’t often initiate physical intimacy with her partner but felt like he deserved to be indulged a bit. She leaned towards the boy, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace that was loose enough for him to escape if he wanted to. 

Was she humming _Edelweiss_? Chat could feel the heat spread up his neck and blossom into a light pink on his face. As he wrapped his arms around her a beat later, the blonde rested his head on the bluenette’s shoulder. Half of him wanted to ensure that she couldn’t see his blush and the other wanted to take in her vanilla scent. She started to rub soothing circles on his back, letting her cheek rest in his hair. 

Something about the girl in his arms was so comforting. The way she touched him was so different than Lila. She made him feel safe. She made him feel loved. 

“We should probably go make sure the city isn’t up in flames,” Ladybug suggested after a while. She wasn’t quite sure how long they’d stayed like that, but it felt like they’d pushed off patrolling for long enough. Besides, she had a blush of her own to fight off. 

“That would be quite the _cat_ astrophe.” 

“Really? That was weak for even you.” 

“ _Meow_ ch! You wound me M’lady!” 

She stuck out her tongue at him, which was returned with a cheeky grin. ‘That’s the Chat Noir I know,’ the red-clad superhero mused. She smiled to herself as they both stood up, preparing to search opposite sides of the city for trouble. 

“See you soon, Kitty.” 

“Miss me already?” 

“Shut up.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> over 900 hits? holy heckeroni! sorry for the delay on this chapter - i knew what i wanted to write but when i tried actually writing it, it just wasn't coming out right. but after a sudden burst of inspiration at 3 AM, i did it. btw, the story is NOT over, i just felt nice, so i didn't leave you on a cliffhanger this time >:)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's way too early but Adrien is already wide awake.

_Someone was_ _on top of_ _him. Their face was blurry but the long,_ _chestnut_ _hair that_ _swung down to tickle his cheek told him enough._ _He tried to slither away but his body was frozen. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move even his fingertips._

_She grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his head towards her_ _and tangling her fingers in_ _his_ _blond locks._ _First, she kissed his cheek. Next, his forehead. Then, his nose. The corner of his mouth._ _Finally, she crashed their lips together._

_It felt like all the air in his lungs was sucked out in that instant. He was drowning, suffocating, forced to watch her_ _take control over his body._ _Inside he was thrashing, kicking, screaming_ _against it_ _– but he couldn’t actually do anything._ _Even_ _now,_ _when he wanted_ _nothing more than_ _to break his perfect persona_ _and retaliate,_ _he couldn’t._ _Whether it was something physical or mental stopping him, he couldn’t._ _He couldn’t. He couldn’t._

_The edges of his vision became blurry. She was_ _pressing her lips to_ _his_ _and then_ _it felt like he was falling. He was falling into an ocean of darkness_ _, s_ _urrounded by black, inky waters_ _._ _Waves crashed on top of them and there was no other sensation than her persistent lips against_ _his_ _._ _Nothing but her. Nothing but—_

Adrien sat up with a start, panting, trying desperately to catch his breath. The boy’s entire body, especially the nape of his neck, was glistening with cold sweat. He held the front of his t-shirt in a vice grip as his heart banged wildly against his ribs. Adrien’s chest felt tight as his eyes darted around his room. It was too dark to make out the details of everything, but the only other person – or, well, being – he could spot was Plagg’s sleeping figure. Running a hand through his blond hair, he glanced over at his alarm clock. ‘5:47 AM.’ 

Throwing off his covers, Adrien padded over to his bathroom. He was a little too frazzled to go back to sleep and wasn’t sure he’d be able to drift off again even if he tried. When he was younger, he would always go to his mom in times like this. She’d let him slip into her bed and would hug him to her chest. She’d always hum a soothing song, swaying with the beat of the soft lullaby until her precious child fell asleep once more. 

Now, obviously, that wasn’t an option. Gabriel wasn’t much the comforting type, so Adrien was on his own for stuff like this. He let out a wry chuckle at the thought of climbing into his father’s bed only to receive a scolding about acting his age and be pushed onto the floor. 

His mind drifted off to the way Ladybug had held him in her arms at yesterday’s patrol, humming _Edelweiss_ and rubbing his back. If only she could do it again now. ‘Would she do it again? She was probably just trying to get me to stop being such a buzzkill,’ Adrien thought downheartedly. The model had learned time and time again not to get his hopes up. 

So, he resolved to slip off his pajamas and step into his shower. He shut his eyes, letting the warm water run over him. Relishing in the feeling of clamminess going down the drain, Adrien could almost feel the invisible marks on his body fading. 

Ten minutes later and wrapped in a bathrobe, the boy plopped onto his couch. A small yawn behind him indicated that Plagg was waking up. An idea had been nagging at the back of his head and he just had to know. 

“Hey Plagg, was anyone in here last night?” 

“No?” 

“Huh.” 

“Why do you ask, kid?” 

“It’s nothing. Must’ve been a dream.” 

“Was it about camembert?” 

“That would be a _nightmare_.” 

Plagg simply stuck his tongue out in response while groggily floating over to sit on Adrien’s shoulder. They sat in silence as they watched the Parisian sky bleed with purples, oranges, and magentas. Once the sun was fully in view, Adrien decided it was probably time to get ready for school. 

He moved towards his dresser, pulling out a rugby shirt and some jeans. He gazed longingly at one of his hoodies and a pair of sweatpants, but Nathalie would never let him out of the house, let alone his roomin that. ‘Who cares if I wear comfortable clothes? How much can one sweatshirt tarnish the Agreste brand?’ 

Once changed into the less-comfortable-than-ideal outfit, Adrien made his way to the bathroom once again. 

‘If anything, these dark circles are going to tarnish the Agreste brand,’ he internally groaned as he stopped in front of the mirror for the first time since he’d woken up. A boy with wild bedhead, pale skin, and cracked lips looked back at him. He looked about as good as he felt. 

‘Uh yeah I don’t think Ladybug would wanna kiss _this_ face,’ he sighed . Maybe if his lips were too chapped, Lila wouldn’t want to steal a kiss either. The model looked a little _too_ much like his alter ego for his liking, so he set about taming the blond mop atop his head. 

A familiar pattern of knocking on his bedroom door a short while later told him it was time for breakfast. After a silent walk through the mansion, Adrien sat down and merely stared at his plate. The meal looked like it could be served at a five-star restaurant, but once again, his appetite was little to nonexistent. He robotically stabbed some blueberries with his fork and chewed, but that’s about all the boy could muster. Nathalie raised an eyebrow when Adrien set his fork down just minutes after he’d entered the dining room. 

“Adrien, you hardly touched your breakfast.” 

“I’m not really hungry…” 

“If you’re eating like that, it’s no wonder you got sick. I can’t force you to eat but remember that you’ll need energy for your tight schedule.” 

Adrien gloomily nodded, knowing he couldn’t prove her wrong about the whole throwing up thing without exposing the situation with Lila. If he found telling _Ladybug_ about it tiring, Adrien could only imagine how emotionally exhausting it would be to explain Lila’s advances to _Nathalie_. ‘She might be a bit sympathetic, but there’s no way she’d keep that from father and then,’ Adrien let his head fall to the side, ‘game over.’ 

“I suppose you’d want to go to school now. Though I must say, you’ll be quite early.” 

“Yeah, I don’t mind.” He _wouldn’t_ mind, provided the fox wasn’t early too and he could just chat with Nino. ‘Please let Lila be absent,’ he thought, crossing his fingers behind his back as he followed Nathalie to the car. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's been 5 days since I last updated (technically 4 since it's 1 AM and i haven't gone to bed yet so in my head it's not a new day yet) and i'm so sorry! i haven't lost interest in this story at all, i just got busy over the holidays. what??? my family wanted to spend time with me around christmas??? ludicrous! kidding kidding but the pace for new chapters should quicken up again :)) also this is at almost 1.4k hits? that's wild!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette notices something is off between Lila and Adrien during class.

Unsurprisingly, Adrien was the first one in the classroom. Who else would be thirty minutes early to school? Resting his head in his ready palm, Adrien pulled up his notes on the French Revolution on his tablet. With all the extracurriculars, superhero responsibilities, and missed classes the day prior, he could use a little brushing up on his schoolwork. 

‘It’s not like Lila was much help anyway,’ he let out a heavy sigh. When had things become so complicated? 

Gradually, students began to enter the classroom and chatter amongst themselves. Adrien bounced his knee up and down, anxiety building in his chest. Was Lila going to come? If so, what would she do? Would she try and kiss him in front of everybody? It wasn’t like she wasn’t draping herself all over him during lessons already! 

“Speak of the devil,” Adrien muttered under his breath as the girl in question sashayed through the door. 

“Adrien!” That saccharine voice of hers was grating on his ears. Before the blond could think of what to do, Lila was already leaning over the front of his desk. 

“Hi Lila.” Making a scene was the last thing Adrien wanted. Maybe if he kept things curt, she would too. 

“Glad to see you back at school!” Lila batted her eyelashes at him, but Adrien’s eyes darted around the room in a feeble attempt to escape her gaze. 

“T-thanks.” He turned his head to the side. ‘Maybe she’ll just leave me alone.’ 

Adrien should’ve known she wouldn’t. Lila reached out, fingertips grazing his jawline as she pushed his head back to face her. 

“I wanted to ask you something,” she said loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. Adrien swallowed thickly, nervously waiting for her to continue. 

Marinette walked into the classroom, proud of her unusual timeliness. Her good mood plummeted as she took in the scene in front of her. Lila with elbows rested on Adrien’s desk, about to speak again. Immediately, the pigtailed girl knew something was wrong. It was written all over Adrien – the way his eyebrows were knitted, the shaky breaths that passed through his lips, and the arms that were tucked defensively against his chest. Whatever this was, it was the furthest thing from a casual conversation between two friends. Lila looked like a predator staring down its prey. 

‘That little fox,’ Marinette thought as her grip on her purse strap turned white-knuckled. 

“Can we spend lunch together today?” 

“Uh,” Adrien cleared his throat, “I’m sure Nino wouldn’t mind if you tagged along.” The model was doing his best to deflect. If he had his bro there as a barrier— 

“I was thinking it could be just the two of us?” Lila pouted at him, conjuring her best puppy-dog eyes. 

Adrien’s breath caught in his throat. ‘She asked me in front of everyone on purpose, didn’t she! I can’t refuse or else everyone will think I’m a total jerk for turning her down for no reason!’ His eyes unwittingly flitted towards Marinette, who was still standing in the doorway. She was the only other person who could see through Lila’s charade. Marinette's uneasy expression told him that she could tell he wanted to say no. 

“It’s okay dude, I’ll have Alya and Marinette to keep me company while you’re with Lila!” 

Adrien nearly deflated. That’s not what his best friend was supposed to say at all! 

“That’s so _sweet_ of you Nino! Thanks for letting me sit in your seat too, it’s really hard for me to be in the back with my tinnitus.” 

“No prob, dudette! It’s the right thing to do.” 

“So lunch, Adrien?” Lila’s smile looked like it hurt to keep intact at this point. 

“A-actually, doesn’t Adrien h-have a photoshoot during lunch t-today?” 

Adrien could practically see the halo glow above Marinette’s head when she spoke up. He couldn’t help but let a soft smile spread across his face as he silently thanked his knight in pink jeans. 

“He doesn’t! I checked. _You_ of all people should know that.” Lila narrowed her eyes at the Marinette, a sneer the rest of the class wouldn’t catch. When would miss pigtails ever stop getting in her way? 

Marinette’s mouth flapped open and closed, but she couldn’t think of another excuse under Lila’s pointed stare. 

“Well then, it’s settled!” Lila had won the battle and being alone with Adrien again was her reward. 

Bluebell eyes drifted over to Adrien and Marinette gave him a sympathetic look. She’d gone up to bat for him and struck out. When he gave a crooked smile that wasn’t even close to reaching his eyes, her heart broke. Marinette didn’t know what could have possibly taken away his glow, but she had to find out – and fast. Adrien was one of the strongest people she’d met. Despite the loss of his mother and Gabriel’s chokehold on his son’s life, her classmate had always radiated positivity. He hadn’t even gotten akumatized! 

The bell rang, drawing her out from her inner turmoil. As Marinette passed Adrien on her way to her desk in the back, she felt him slip something into her bag. A short trip up the stairs later, she unfolded the small piece of paper. _‘T_ _hanks for helping’_ was written in small, neat letters. 

‘I didn’t help though!’ Marinette suppressed the urge to bang her head against the table. Instead, she resolved to collect as much information as she could before lunchtime. 

Mme. Bustier’s lesson went in one ear and out the other. Marinette’s undivided attention was on two very specific classmates a few rows in front of her. ‘Did Lila ever learn about personal bubbles?’ she thought as she saw the brunette lean her head on Adrien’s shoulder. Adrien started off very still, seemingly trying to block Lila out, but his resolution started to crack as class went on. 

Marinette watched her crush become more and more restless with each caress. He practically jerked away when Lila’s fingers found themselves tangled in his blond locks. Could no one else see the troubled look etched into his face every time he turned it away from Lila? The blond boy looked helpless. 

His verdant eyes were subdued, girdled by dark circles. ‘Did he get enough sleep last night?’ Marinette wondered, wanting nothing more than to wrap Adrien up in a warm blanket and whisper sweet nothings into his ear until he slipped into slumber. She was pulled out of her fantasy when Lila cupped the boy’s cheek and turned his head to face hers. 

‘Is Mme. Bustier really not seeing this? Is she really trying to kiss Adrien in _class_?’ Marinette’s brain was whirring a mile a minute as she watched their faces inch closer and closer. 

Right before their lips could lock, Adrien snapped out of his frozen state and jumped out of her hold. Suddenly, the whole class’ attention was on the now-standing model. 

“Adrien, could you care to explain why you’ve interrupted my lecture?” Mme. Bustier asked over the students’ murmurs. 

“He dropped his pen, miss,” Lila supplied before Adrien could answer. 

“Thank you, Lila. Try not to disturb the class next time, Adrien.” And with that, their teacher turned back around to face the board and carry on with the lesson. The boy drooped back into his seat and Lila scooted right up next to him. 

Marinette was on the verge of exploding. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Adrien wanted none of what Lila was doing to him. The pigtailed girl clenched and unclenched her hands in a futile attempt to keep her anger from bubbling over. 

‘I’ve gotta crash that lunch date.’ 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Here he was, shattering at the hands of a fox in an empty classroom."

Despite the next few classes feeling like the longest of Adrien and Marinette’s lives, the bell marking the start of lunch break finally rang. As if it were a starting pistol, Lila jumped up and tugged on Adrien’s sleeve. 

“Let’s go!” 

“Are we in a rush?” he asked, knowing he couldn’t stall for much longer. Shoving the last of his schoolwork into his bag, Adrien glanced to the back of the room. Marinette caught his gaze, raising her eyebrows as if to ask where he and Lila were headed. The boy could only shake his head and shrug in response. He didn’t know what Lila’s plan was, and it terrified him. He could hope for the best but doing so was a fruitless endeavor when it came to that girl. 

A yank on his sleeve told him that Lila was fed up with waiting for him. 

“You’re ready now, right?” 

“Where are we going?” The blonde’s voice trembled more than he would’ve liked. 

The brunette gritted her teeth, olive eyes flitting over to Marinette. Lila didn’t fail to notice that the pigtailed girl was watching her and Adrien like an eagle. In fact, it pissed her off to no end. 

“Just follow me,” she said with a forced smile. 

And with that, Adrien was all but yanked out of the room. Marinette slung her backpack over her shoulder, ready to bolt down the stairs after them and– 

“Girl, don’t tell me you’re planning on ditching Nino and me too!” 

“A-actually, Alya, I- uh…” The bluenette racked her brain for an excuse. 

“What, you only want to hang out with us when Nino brings Adrien along?” Alya lightly teased, putting her hands on her hips and leaning forward. 

“Course not!” Marinette pouted. 

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Lila,” the redhead peered at her best friend over her glasses, raising a quizzical brow. 

“No!” By the look on Alya’s face, Marinette knew she’d have to elaborate. “I f-forgot to do t-the uh science homework that's due a-after lunch! I was p-planning on going to the uh library t-to do it.” 

‘Real convincing, Marinette. The stuttering will certainly help your case,’ Marinette internally groaned. 

“You can just copy mine, Mari.” 

“I can’t keep relying on you to pull me through school, can I.” Marinette tapped her foot impatiently on the floor and could only hope that her best friend wouldn’t notice. Each second that passed made her heartrate rise. 

“True. I won’t keep you from those periodic tables any longer,” Alya chuckled, “Just know that you owe me some cookies to make up for it.” 

“I should’ve known you’d say that,” Marinette sighed fondly as they descended the classroom’s stairs together. 

After waving and heading off in opposite directions, Marinette brought her focus back to tracking Adrien down. She had to make up for the time lost by talking with Alya and was starting to feel frantic. ‘If I were Adrien, where would I be?’ 

If she were Adrien, she would currently find Lila pulling her by the wrist into an empty classroom. 

“You want to… study during lunch?” Adrien asked as if to convince himself that’s why they were there. He was oblivious, yes, but not _that_ thick-skulled. A sense of dread was pushing on his ribs that couldn’t be relieved by feigned ignorance. 

“Adrien, I think we both know what I want.” All traces of her innocent façade were gone. She didn’t need to be careful – nobody else was there to see it. The fox had plenty of time before anyone would even _think_ to enter the second-floor classroom at the end of the hall during lunch break. Lila and Adrien were playing a game of chess, and they’d reached checkmate. 

Before he could choke out a response, Lila spoke again. “Attractive, talented, good grades, famous dad, not to mention rich. You’re the perfect package, Adrien,” she paused to cup his cheek with her hand, “A package I want to be mine.” 

Something about the way she boiled him down to just a couple of bells and whistles set him off. Everybody saw Adrien Agreste as a product – an ideal rather than a person. Even his own father. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and the words tumbled out of his mouth before Adrien could consider their consequences. 

“Well this package has feelings, Lila! It doesn’t like you, and it doesn’t like everything you’ve been pushing onto it lately!” He swatted her hand away from his face as he seethed. She should’ve been just another fangirl. Just another person who wanted to use him to fulfill their own desires. 

But she wasn’t. 

She was Lila Rossi. 

“Do you think I care?” she scoffed. “Do you think I’m just going to let you slip through my fingers?” 

He felt a sense of déjà vu as she stalked towards him, pressing forward while he moved back. Instead of a bed, though, his back collided with the smooth surface of the whiteboard on the wall. 

‘Different actions, same outcome,’ Adrien thought as Lila grabbed his wrists and pressed them near either side of his head against the whiteboard. The same perfume filled his nostrils, the same girl was too close. Even when he’d stood up for himself, all he felt like was a dog who kept running into an electric fence even though it shocked him every time. 

“Are you ever going to learn your lesson?” 

“Are you ever going to take a hint?” the boy spat back. 

“Do you know how many other guys would love for me to do this to them?” 

“This? What’s th- _mmmmph_ _!_ ” Lila interrupted him by crashing her lips onto his. Adrien’s thoughts ceased, replaced by a deafening static as she moved her sticky, lip gloss-coated lips against his. The fiery anger he had just moments before was replaced by the overbearing fear that came with being violated like this. It wasn’t like any of the kisses Adrien had seen in anime. Those had all been the gentle, loving kind that made butterflies in your stomach flutter as your body filled with a fuzzy warmth. 

But here he was, shaking like a Chihuahua as Lila hungrily sought after everything he had to offer. She was kissing him as if she was stranded in the desert and his lips were the first drop of water she’d seen in days. The brunette licked the seam of his lips, pushing to be let in, but Adrien focused all his energy on keeping his mouth clamped shut. The only thing he could do at this point was preventing her from getting full satisfaction. 

Whether he was getting dizzy from stress or from barely eating anything for a day and a half, he didn’t know. His head swam and he could feel his knees start to buckle. Adrien didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Lila had plucked the porcelain doll that was Adrien Agreste off its shelf and threw it on the cement. Here he was, shattering at the hands of a fox in an empty classroom. 

With each passing second, her lips were more and more incessant. ‘I’m not here. This isn’t happening,’ Adrien thought, hoping that dissociating his mind from his body would offer relief. He tried to focus on something else, but the only thing his senses were picking up was Lila. Lila and footsteps. Wait. _Footsteps?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating for longer than usual! i had the plot figured out but i was really struggling with how to word it. surprisingly enough, this chapter wasn't written at 3 am. though i must say my best ideas usually come to me when i'm trying to fall asleep. oh btw, happy new year!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila is caught, but she isn't the one worried about consequences.

He could write off the footsteps as something else, a fluke. But what couldn’t be ignored was the **_BANG_ **of the classroom door ricocheting off the wall. 

“WHAT THE HELL, LILA?” Marinette couldn’t help but yell. All she could see was red. 

“Came to enjoy the show?” Lila replied with a sly smile, turning her head towards the girl in pigtails but not unhanding Adrien. 

Tikki would probably scold her for it later, but Marinette lunged towards the brunette. 

“Get your grimy hands off of him!” Marinette grabbed Lila’s arms, yanking her away from the boy. 

“Get off of ME!” Lila barked, but Marinette was stronger than she’d expected. Not as strong as a certain red and black spotted superhero, but it was enough to pry the girl from Adrien. Once the unwelcome weight was removed from his body, Adrien felt his knees give out. Back sliding down the wall, the blond slumped to the ground. He didn’t have the energy to remind Marinette to take the high road, nor did he want to. 

“No problem!” Marinette sneered as she released her grip and pushed hard against Lila’s chest. The grunt that the brunette let out as she fell onto her butt was nothing short of satisfying. 

“I should’ve known you’d be jealous of us.” Lila jeered, putting emphasis on the word ‘jealous.’ Marinette clicked her tongue in annoyance – did everyone have to call her that today? 

“Of what? You sexually harassing Adrien during class and kissing him without his consent?” She scowled, letting the snarky tone drip off her tongue. 

“He likes it.” Lila rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. Adrien swallowed thickly. After every flinch, every uncomfortable facial expression, and every rejection, she _still_ hadn’t gotten the message? If anyone else had found them, would Lila have passed it off as some sort of tryst? A rendezvous between two teenagers unable to get a handle over their hormones? 

“I… I said no.” He said softly, voice cracking. The sound was as fragile as he felt. 

“Who the hell do you think you are, Lila?” Marinette tilted her chin up, moving to stand protectively in front of Adrien’s limp figure. The boy’s denunciation of Lila’s advances was all she needed for her confidence to bloom. She had the high ground. She had Lila cornered. 

But she couldn’t expect Lila’s scowl to slowly give way to a wide, eerie smile. Check, but not checkmate. 

“You seem to have forgotten. I’m the girl who saved Jagged Stone’s cat. I’m the girl who’s friends with Prince Ali. I’m the girl you pushed down the stairs. I’m Ladybug’s best friend.” 

“Those are all _lies_.” 

“But the class believed them. Still do, even after your pathetic attempt to expose me.” 

Marinette faltered. Adrien felt a chill run down his spine. That’s right – they _hadn’t_ listened Marinette. A new layer of tension blanketed over the classroom and its presence was suffocating. The tables had turned, and Marinette was at Lila’s mercy. 

“What do you bet that they’ll believe me when I tell them I found Marinette Dupain-Cheng forcing herself on Adrien Agreste in an empty classroom?” 

‘Everyone knows about my crush on Adrien…’ Marinette could feel the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. ‘Of course they’d believe her.’ It was as if the bluenette was hanging off a cliff, waiting for the fox to pluck her fingers from their hold on the edge one by one until there were none left. The only exit was falling into the heard of wildebeests that were stampeding thousands of feet below. 

“You wouldn’t…” Adrien breathed. 

“Maybe I won’t,” Lila said, smiling before letting her expression darken again, “if neither of you tell anybody about what happened in here.” 

Mariette clenched her jaw. ‘If I keep quiet about this, what’s stopping her from doing this again? But if I speak up, it’ll get blamed on me!’ 

“Besides,” Lila continued, “who would believe you anyway? It’s your word against mine. We all know whose everyone likes better. Worst case scenario, Adrien gets pulled out of school.” The brunette shrugged. It made no difference to her – she would still get to see him at photoshoots. The secrecy of dressing rooms was much more appealing anyway. 

“Adrien can back me up.” 

What seemed like a trump card was met with an uninterested scoff. “I can just say you threatened him into siding with you.” 

Silence fell over them once more, bated breath practically echoing throughout the classroom. It was unsettling how unbothered Lila was. As if she wasn’t the one who had been caught. The self-righteous smile she wore made Marinette’s blood boil. Marinette would happily throw a few more punches, but a bruised and bleeding fox wouldn’t do the pigtailed girl any good. It’d only make the class take Lila’s side. Because then, Marinette pushing Lila down the stairs in the past wouldn’t seem so outlandish. Because then, they’d have no reason _not_ to believe that Lila saved Jagged Stone’s kitten. They’d have no reason not to believe all the fibs Lila spewed. They’d have no reason to believe Marinette ever again. 

“Okay. I won’t tell anyone.” The agreeance was almost a whisper, but there was no other noise to drown it out. 

The pigtailed girl whipped her head around, mouth agape in disbelief. Adrien was really agreeing to this? He was really bending to Lila’s will? Her bluebell eyes searched his despondent face, but verdant eyes were glazed over and stayed trained on the floor next to pink ballet flats. How much he valued going to Françoise Dupont was not lost on Marinette. It was his one semblance of a normal life. The few hours where he could spend time with others, laughing with Nino, complaining about Mme. Mendeleiv’s strict policies. Classes which distracted him from empty mansion halls and a packed schedule. The one time Adrien Agreste, teen heartthrob, renowned model, perfect son, could pretend to be like any other teenage boy. 

“What about you, miss justice?” A mocking tone pulled Marinette’s attention back to a now-standing Lila. 

“I…” Her gaze flitted back to Adrien. Round green eyes stared back at her beneath sloped brows. He was all but pleading with a puppy-dog expression that could rival Manon’s. Though he tried, Adrien Agreste could never be just any other teenage boy. Other boys whined about having to wake up early for school. Other boys were allowed out of the house and spent weekends with friends. Other boys didn’t have to balance fencing, Chinese, modelling, and school. Other boys weren’t being crushed by their father’s unrealistic expectations. 

With a shaky sigh, she gave her answer. 

“I won’t tell anyone.” 

“Good,” Lila leaned forward, eyes narrowed, “and if you do, don’t expect me to hold back on you.” 

With a huff and a haughty hair flip, Lila walked towards the door. Marinette hung her head. This wasn’t the way she wanted it to go. But what else was she supposed to do? Lila had deceit and manipulation on her side. 

Once she was in the doorway, the click of brown boots ceased, and the fox cast a sidelong gaze back at the bluenette. 

“Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me ever again, Marinette.” 

And she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy... this has 3k hits? that's way more than i ever could've expected. btw, sorry for the long wait for this chapter! i hope the next one won't take me as long :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette comforts Adrien, who struggles to figure out how to deal with his emotions.

Marinette turned to the boy who was still slumped against the wall. Her immediate reaction was to ask if he was okay, but clearly, he wasn’t. Vacant eyes unfocused but fixed stubbornly on the floor. Unusually tousled blond locks framing a pale face. 

“Adrien?” Her voice was gentle, as if she were beckoning a stray kitten. She moved to the floor in front of him, but uncertainty coursed through her veins as she sat back on her feet. Was she too close? Did he even want her to stay at all? 

The blonde let out a shuddering breath – the feeling of his ribs crushing in on themselves had only slightly lessened after Lila’s departure. ‘Just pretend everything’s okay. Just push it all down, you’re fine,’ he told himself. Adrien wanted to simply file everything that happened today away in its own neat folder of his brain. Shove the anxiety and trepidation into a drawer and lock it, then throw away the key. Sweep the broken fragments under a rug as if they were never there at all, as if they’d never shattered in the first place. Push it down so it can’t hurt you. 

That’s what he wanted to do, that’s what his father taught him to do. That’s what he planned on doing, until guilt took over his mind. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, voice cracking. 

“What for? It’s not your fault!” Marinette winced at the harshness of her own tone – she shouldn’t be taking her anger at Lila out on Adrien. 

Adrien bowed his head before speaking again. “You getting into this mess because of me.” 

“I made my own choice to bust in,” Marinette tilted her head down to meet his eyes, “And if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have done anything different.” 

“You could’ve gotten hurt…” 

“Bruises heal. I have half a mind to go out there and wring that witch’s neck.” 

The corners of Adrien’s mouth lifted into a wry smile, but it didn’t hold for long. The darkness kept leaking from the recesses of his mind. The taste of artificial cherry haunted his lips. He was drowning in the black waters again, only this time, the kiss wasn’t a nightmare. It had happened and there was no convincing himself that it hadn’t. His thoughts swirled in a tornado until all he could hear was the thrashing winds. He tried to grab onto something but there was nothing. It was closing in on him, sucking him into the epicenter of the storm. 

“…drien?” 

Something tried to pull him from the tempest that reigned over his mind. 

“Adrien?” 

A ray of light poked through the clouds, but it was just out of grasp. 

“Adrien?” 

He could feel a soft squeeze to his hand. A familiar warmth pulling him to safety. He detected an immediate difference from Lila’s touch that told him it was okay for it to stay. The light slowly spread until he could see a delicate hand holding his own through misty vision. When had he started crying? 

“Adrien?” 

He lifted his head to find bluebell eyes watching him, clearing the fog and shooing away the intrusive thoughts. She was here, she was real. She wouldn’t hurt him. 

Marinette suppressed a gasp when lithe arms flung around her shoulders. Golden hair tickled her cheek as Adrien pressed his face into the crook of her neck. Hot tears moistened the fabric of her shirt and muffled sobs echoed throughout the empty classroom. Marinette wrapped her own arms around the shaking boy, rubbing comforting circles into his back. 

If you told past Marinette that the love of her life would be holding her tight in an empty classroom, she would’ve melted into a blushing, stuttering mess. Here and now however, Marinette’s focus was on comforting the boy of her dreams. A light pink might have been dusting her cheeks, but luckily, he couldn’t see it. 

“It’s okay, let it out. You’re okay.” She cooed, resting her chin on his shoulder. ‘I’ve never seen him let out this much emotion,’ she thought. Adrien was almost characterized by his reserved smiles and suppressed giggles. Marinette had no idea how he could keep his cool and not let on his annoyance when Chloé fussed over him. He always seemed to be holding something back, playing it safe with a polite and well-mannered façade. There was a carefully trained mask that Adrien Agreste never let slip. But here they were, in an empty classroom with the boy crying his eyes out and the mask discarded. Part of Marinette wondered if Adrien hugged her so she couldn’t see his face while he cried. 

The pigtailed girl felt suffocated just by listening to the broken noises that escaped Adrien. Tired of waiting idly for him to miraculously feel better, Marinette considered what to do next. ‘Whenever I was upset, mom always offered me a warm croissant,’ she bit her lip, ‘but it’s not like I can exactly go get one…’ 

Her mind drifted off to one rainy afternoon years ago when she’d tripped in mud. Her mom had carried a crying and dirty Marinette all the way home, where she was then coddled in a warm blanket. It must’ve been almost a decade ago at this point, but Marinette could still recall vividly the lullaby her mom sung to calm her down. 

Before she could process her actions or internally harp on how weird it might be to sing to her classmate, Marinette’s mouth was already moving. 

“Edelweiss, Edelweiss…” 

Adrien stiffened in her arms at first, but only briefly. He let her gentle voice overtake his mind, focusing intently on the melody instead of his panic. As Marinette worked her way through the tune, sobs faded to sniffles. 

“Bless my homeland forever.” Once she’d uttered the last lyric, the two slowly broke their embrace. Marinette couldn’t help but wish she could hold on a little longer, but she respected Adrien’s desires and boundaries more than her own petty impulse. 

“Thanks, Marinette.” He said while wiping a few stray tears from his face. 

“Don’t mention it. It’s what friends do, right?” Marinette added the last part to remind herself of that fact. Adrien didn’t know about her crush and he certainly didn’t need that information loaded onto him now. She felt oddly content with it though – for as long as she’d known Adrien, they weren’t particularly close. They’d hang out, but usually Alya and Nino were at their sides. Any time they were alone… she wasn’t the most eloquent person. Though she had his schedule memorized, today showed Marinette that she didn’t actually know much about the boy she said she loved. 

Adrien took in the girl in front of him. Today was one of the first times he’d gotten a glimpse into the personality and spunk she showed their classmates. She seemed to be much more extroverted around everyone from Nathaniel to Ivan, always giving them bright smiles and chatting amicably. It’d always puzzled him how she would tease Chat Noir and banter with said alter ego, a literal superhero, but not Adrien. Why did she treat half of the famous Parisian crime-fighting duo as a closer friend than Adrien, especially when Marinette had only met Chat on a few occasions? Deep down, he was a little proud of himself for seeing a glimmer of the real Marinette. Something in his subconscious told him not to stare at his classmate, but he found himself counting her freckles. Had her eyes always been that blue? Were her eyelashes always that thick and long? Was her smile always that endearing? 

Before he could get too carried away, a loud growl reverberated off the classroom walls. Adrien wrapped his arms around his rumbling stomach sheepishly. 

Marinette gave him a sympathetic look that saved him from embarrassment. “I’m guessing you didn’t get a chance to eat lunch?” 

“I was kinda preoccupied.” Adrien said sardonically, giving a small but genuine smile. 

“Well let’s go then. Break is almost over anyway.” 

Marinette stood up, extending her hand to Adrien. He was still shaken, but Marinette’s company lifted his spirits. As he took her hand and let her help him up, he contemplated if maybe his father’s way of thinking was wrong. Maybe he didn’t have to bottle everything up. Maybe he didn’t have to pretend to be okay. Maybe he could rely on someone else to help him through his troubles. 

When they reached the door, he smoothed his clothes and combed his hands through his hair in an attempt to return them to their usual style. Once he looked presentable, they stepped outside. 

“M-make sure you eat something. I’ve gotta go to the library ‘cuz I’m sure Alya will be looking for me t-there.” Now that the serious atmosphere had faded, Marinette found herself stuttering again, but if Adrien noticed, he didn’t bring it up. 

“See you in class, Marinette. And thank you.” His eyes, though still slightly red and puffy, shone brighter than they had all day. 

The two exchanged shy waves and parted ways, but after a few steps down the hallway, Marinette spoke again. 

“A-Adrien?” 

“Yeah?” He looked over his shoulder to find a very determined Marinette standing in front of him. 

“I’m gonna figure out how to make Lila pay for this. I-I don’t know how, but we’ll find out a way to e-expose what she’s really like t-together.” 

‘Together, huh?’ The thought warmed Adrien. 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe I made this chapter extra long cuz I felt guilty about not updating. I thought it was a bit funny how everyone in the comments wanted Adrien to get a hug when that had been part of the plan all along ;) Also wow this story has over 10k words and I'm not even done yet :0


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's afternoon plans are interrupted

Luckily for Adrien, he had no more classes with Lila for the day. Soon enough, he was sitting in the back seat of the Agreste sedan on his way back home. He actively dispelled thoughts of the girl’s advances as he busied himself with watching trees and buildings go by outside the car window. Adrien was looking forward to going out on a little Chat Noir adventure as soon as he got to his room. The stretch and contraction of his muscles as he leaped atop buildings with the wind ruffling his golden hair were some of Adrien’s favorite parts of being a superhero. Sure, the fate of Paris was resting on his and Ladybug’s shoulders, but the spandex suit gave the young model something he was lacking in all other facets of his life: freedom. 

Pushing open the front doors of his house, the gentle breeze of springtime was replaced with the cold atmosphere of the Agreste mansion. The blond was about to ascend the stairs when a befittingly icy voice stopped him in his tracks. 

“Adrien, your father wants to have a word with you.” Nathalie spoke in a monotone, standing in front of Gabriel’s atelier. 

“Right now?” Adrien asked, taken off guard. He didn’t remember having a meeting with his father today. 

“Yes.” Nathalie clipped. 

‘Whenever Father wants to talk to me on short notice it’s because I’m in trouble.’ The boy wracked his brain for any recent wrongdoings or mistakes but came up short. The uncertainty of the whole situation only made Adrien more nervous as he approached the imposing black doors. With a deep breath, he entered the room, Nathalie following him inside. 

“I’m sure you recall your photoshoot scheduled for next week, Adrien.” The older Agreste spoke without looking up from his tablet. 

“The one for the summer fashion line.” Adrien responded, straightening his posture for fear of lecture. The importance of this shoot was not lost on the model, as his father had been busy with creating mockups of clothing, scouting for locations, and scheduling for the past month and a half. 

“The photographer had a conflict arise, so it’s been moved up to tomorrow.” Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, overtly stressed by the sudden change and the frantic rearranging that followed. 

Adrien merely nodded in response – it wasn’t like he had any other plans. 

“We’ll need to check the fit of the clothes on you now.” Gabriel nodded to Nathalie. 

“They’re laid out on your desk in your room,” the assistant instructed, “Change into them and come back here. Quickly.” 

“Okay.” ‘So much for an afternoon stroll as Chat, huh.’ the model inwardly grumbled. 

Just like Nathalie had said, his father’s new designs were folded neatly on the desk. Trying not to waste a single second, Adrien swiftly removed his street clothes and threw them in the laundry basket. Just as he was about to put on the crisp, collared undershirt, the model caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. 

‘Huh… did my ribs always stick out this much?’ he asked himself as he took a second to prod his torso with svelte fingers. His collarbone was hardly hidden and his hip bones jutted out from beneath his boxers. Adrien always knew he was skinny to begin with – being a fashion model and all – but he couldn’t imagine how a little over a day of picking at his food could take such a toll on his figure. ‘At least it’s not a shirtless shoot.’ he concluded. 

“That’s what happens when you eat worse than a mouse,” Plagg drawled from the recesses of a cheese-filled cabinet. 

“I just…” Adrien puffed out his cheeks, “Haven’t been hungry lately.” He wasn’t lying – just the thought of eating made him nauseous. The blond hurriedly buttoned the white undershirt before shrugging on the yellow gingham overshirt. He felt a little stuffy even though both shirts had short sleeves and his top layer was left unbuttoned. 

“You gotta eat, kid. Chat Noir doesn’t need to be stabbing people with his elbows.” 

“It could be useful!” Adrien quipped. If he was being honest, the boy didn’t particularly care for his recent weight loss. Though he could try to hide his negative emotions, his body showed signs of stress regardless. The rest of the class seemed to be oblivious to it so far, as it wasn’t warm enough yet to ditch wearing long sleeves at school. 

“Just remember that Marinette and I are both here for you.” The kwami responded in an uncharacteristically tenderhearted tone. Obviously, his charge wasn’t doing a great job of taking care of himself. Plagg hated to see Adrien struggle and had to resist the urge to go over to a certain girl’s house and cataclysm her brain. 

“Thanks.” Adrien scratched under Plagg’s chin before the black blob inevitably flew back to his camembert. Though Plagg was most often a pain, whining about his insatiable appetite and whatnot, Adrien was grateful for the times where his kwami looked out for him. Sure, Plagg wasn’t as comforting as his mother, but it was something. 

With his grey cargo shorts secured by a white belt, the blond slipped on matching white Sperry’s and left the room. It was hardly a practical outfit – the light colors would get ruined and stained by any fun activities a carefree teenager would participate in – but it oozed summer. Adrien found posing to _look_ like he was having the time of his life when in reality he was allowed little relaxation himself almost paradoxical. ‘It’s all an illusion anyway,’ he scoffed as the sounds of his footsteps filled the empty hallway. It wasn’t a secret that all of his father’s decisions following the disappearance of Emilie were made to maintain the guise of perfection. ‘It’s like I’m a doll in Father’s dollhouse, expected to just sit there and look pretty.’ 

Adrien could only hope the fit of his clothes were up to his father’s standards so the tiring process could be as short as possible. He stepped back inside the atelier, and that was when the fussing began. Stylists and tailors swarmed the young Agreste, pulling at hems and inspecting seams before writing notes fervently on their clipboards. The model could’ve sworn one of the seamstresses was commenting to herself on how his belt was secured on one hole tighter than usual. In such close quarters, it came as no surprise that they’d notice his spindly physique. Pushing down the discomfort that came with so many people invading his personal space, Adrien focused on standing stiffly still. He didn’t blame them for checking every detail, after all they’d get fired if something were overlooked, but it was hard to remain neutral with his recent encounters with Lila fresh in his mind. The way some of the stylists pulled at his clothes reminded him all too much of the fox, and he had to fight back a squirm each time. 

Deciding to distract himself, Adrien let his mind drift off to daydream about the more enjoyable parts of his life. Getting to see his lady, the crinkling of her bluebell eyes when she smiled, the cute freckles sprinkled across her cheeks, her spunky attitude. He imagined date ideas: picnics in the Parc Du Champ De Mars, bike rides along the Seine, visiting André’s ice cream stand on the Pont des Arts. 

Adrien realized he must’ve gotten lost in his fantasies when the sounds of pens scribbling on paper and the staff’s murmurs halted. Dress shoes clacked against the marble floor in resolute strides. Soon, Gabriel Agreste was towering over his son, parted seas of employees around him as if he were the fashion mogul reincarnation of Moses. The man lifted Adrien’s wrist, inspecting the purplish marks on the offending limb. 

“What is this?” He asked with displeasure, steely blue eyes studying his son’s face. 

“Oh,” Adrien breathed. He hadn’t even noticed getting those, but the boy had a good guess at where they came from. “It… must’ve happened during fencing.” Could you get bruises on your wrists from fencing? Adrien thought it unlikely, but that was the best excuse he could come up with, lest Lila make good on her threat. 

Gabriel’s mouth hardened into a grim line as he looked over the other wrist, which was equally discolored. 

“You’re lucky it looks like it can be covered up by makeup. Retouching is expensive.” 

“Yes, Father.” Adrien deflated once his father went back to toil at his tablet. He knew it was foolish to get his hopes up still, but part of him wished the man had been actually worried about his son’s health and not how an injury would ruin some photos. A snap of Gabriel’s fingers sent the countless employees into a frenzy once again. 

Regrettably, the fitting had taken over two hours. Sore was an understatement for how Adrien’s muscles felt after holding various poses for minutes at a time. Once back in the confines of his room, Adrien replaced his photoshoot clothes with a red T-shirt and a pair of spotted sweatpants. Boy, did it feel good to slouch. He sank into his desk chair less than gracefully, pulling his agenda out from his school bag. 

“English paper, science lab report, math textbook problems, Chinese exam, more history notes… guess Chat Noir isn’t going out tonight.” 

“Who needs homework when you have cheese?” Plagg snickered. 

“Does cheese get me good grades?” Adrien jeered. Blame his bad mood on what could only be described as a mountain of assignments. He still hadn’t caught up on all the missed work from yesterday _and_ he’d wasted his afternoon on the photoshoot fitting. This day just kept getting worse. 

The blond stretched his arms over his head, leaning back and looking over at his alarm clock to see that it was past midnight – 12:27 pm to be exact. It’s not like he needed the clock to tell him that though; his room was shrouded in darkness, save for the computer monitors illuminating his desk with a bluish glow. With a sigh, Adrien flopped onto his bed. His work was done and felt like a zombie, but he didn’t want to go to bed yet. 

‘Might as well at least _try_ to get some rest,’ he thought, but deep down he knew it was a fruitless effort. What with last night’s nightmare and the stress of the photoshoot tomorrow, sleep sounded less than appealing. Nonetheless, Adrien slipped under his plush covers, wiggling around to try and get comfortable. Despite it being the dead of night, the pale crescent moon filled the room with too much light for Adrien’s liking. ‘Who was the genius that decided to cover an entire wall in windows?’ 

Periodically, he sighed before tossing and turning into a new position. ‘Does it always take this long to fall asleep?’ He glanced over at his clock once again. 12:31 pm. ‘Great.’ Adrien picked at his cuticles absentmindedly. Clearly this wasn’t working. With another groan, the boy propped himself up on his elbows. At the foot of his bed, the black creature’s chest rose and fell in a gentle rhythm. ‘Aaaaaand Plagg’s asleep.’ Adrien stuck his bottom lip out in an annoyed pout. He’d been _hoping_ to get some company. His eyes drifted over to his phone sitting on the desk. 

Reaching over, Adrien squinted as he frantically lowered the device’s brightness. He stared blankly at his Ladybug lock screen. Who could he talk to right now? 

His pianist fingers tapped lightly against the screen, typing in the first name he could think of to pull up their contact info. And with a few more taps, his message had been sent. 

**Adrien:** **hey**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOPS it's been over a week since i last posted a chapter. take this extra long chapter as an apology. how many times can i say chapter in one note GOSH. btw i still can't believe this has over 4k hits? you guys are all bots i swear. anyways, it's the last week of my school semester which means i'm definitely not stressed out of my mind :D back to what you're all here for, i know this chapter seems kinda random but just picture it as a transition from one plot point to the next. i swear there's a method to my madness ;)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finds comfort in his text conversation and the big day of the photoshoot arrives.

Merely a few seconds later, his phone pinged with a response. 

**Marinette: hi** **:)**

**Adrien:** **i hope i** **didn’t** **wake u up**

**Marinette: no no you** **didn’t** **! i** **got caught up in designing so i** **didn’t** **rlly realize the time**

**Adrien: that’s** **a relief** **. i feel kinda bad for bugging u this late :/**

**Marinette:** **you’re not-**

**Marinette: anyways what’s up**

Adrien stared blankly at her message. He’d wanted someone to talk to but hadn’t planned further than this. ‘Keep it casual, Agreste. You’re bothering her enough as it is,’ he warned himself as he sent a reply. 

**Adrien: couldn’t sleep**

**Marinette: why? :(**

‘Do I tell her?’ Adrien considered filling Marinette in on last night’s nightmare – the main culprit of his insomnia. He even went as far as to type out a message about how he was worried he’d have another after how bad the first dream was, but any bravery Adrien had before vanished as his finger hovered over the ‘send’ button. The blond knew he could trust her, knew she’d be understanding, but fear overtook him. It was irrational and he knew that, but even when it was his everyday Ladybug he was talking to, reaching out for help was daunting. Telling someone else would only reinforce the fact that all of this was real, and it felt like that was admitting defeat. 

‘You’re such a coward.’ Adrien thought as he spammed the backspace button. 

**Adrien: kinda stressed abt** **my** **photoshoot tomorrow**

**Marinette: you have a shoot tmrw?**

**Adrien: got moved up from next week**

**Marinette: ohhh. short notice huh**

**Adrien: ikr**

**Marinette: i’m sure you’ll do great anyway! u always do :)**

**Marinette: i mean- uve got lots of experience!** **so naturally you’d do well hahaha**

**Adrien: thanks :D**

**Marinette: r u gonna b at school tmrw then?**

**Adrien: nah. it** **’ll start early and these things always last a while :(**

**Marinette:** **shoot.**

**Adrien: was that a pun? >:) **

**Marinette: nO**

The boy giggled at her quick denial. ‘She didn’t seem too keen on Chat’s puns during Evillustrator, either.’ The thought warmed him. He couldn’t help but feel a little special after cracking Marinette’s shy exterior _twice_ in one day. Was this what it was like to be friends with Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Adrien was realizing more and more that her scent of vanilla and warm bread wasn’t the only comforting thing about the girl. 

**Adrien:** **well,** **you’** **d hate this friend of mine who’s always making photography jokes. u can’t shutter up!**

**Marinette: how to hit someone over the phone.**

**Adrien: hey! don’t get agrestive!**

**Marinette: who are you, chat noir?**

**Adrien:** **no but** **i** **can see y** **you’** **d think that. we’re both pretty clawver** **;)**

He couldn’t help but break into a grin at the irony of it all. It’d only been a few minutes of back and forth, but Adrien felt significantly better. Marinette proved to be just the distraction he needed. 

**Marinette:** **UGH you’re both horrible >:T **

**Adrien: meowch!**

**Marinette:** **if i don’t die from lack of sleep, your puns r gonna do me in**

**Adrien:** **fiiine i’ll let the princess get her beauty sleep :P**

Thankfully for his sanity, Adrien couldn’t see Marinette’s shocked face at the pet name. It was an identifiably Chat thing to say. Adrien was equally lucky that the bluenette brushed it off as a side-effect of sleep-deprived deliriousness and nothing more. His drooping eyelids were probably a sign that he was getting too tired to think about his words properly before he typed them. 

**Marinette: you’re the mode** **l here**

**Adrien: which is probably y i should sleep too**

**Marinette: goodnight** **then <3 **

**Adrien: night :)**

Setting his phone in its place on his desk, Adrien wriggled back under the covers. The short conversation had cleared his mind, setting the raging waves of nervousness at ease. Placated by the fuzzy warmth in his stomach, Adrien succumbed to sleep. 

The boy was jolted awake by the incessant beeping of his alarm clock. He rubbed his eyes to let them adjust to the light that was now pouring through the windows. 

“Shut that thing off will ya?” Plagg moaned, covering his cat ears with his arms. 

“I see you’re in a good mood.” Adrien replied, sarcasm dripping off his tongue as he turned off the alarm. 

“How can I be in a _good mood_ at six in the morning?” 

“You get more sleep than I do!” The boy huffed, making his way to the bathroom. 

“Well, I don’t stay up late talking to my girlfriend!” 

Adrien gawked. ‘Plagg woke up during that?’ “Marinette isn’t my girlfriend.” 

“Might as well be. You don’t giggle at _Nino’s_ texts like that.” 

“It’s fun to tease her.” Adrien scrunched up his nose at his kwami before turning back to his mirror. It wouldn’t be long before Nathalie would be knocking on his door, so he set himself on getting ready. 

While he went through his mundane morning routine, Adrien let his mind wander. ‘At least I won’t have to see Lila if I’m missing school.’ The hand holding his toothbrush in his mouth halted its movement. ‘Wait… I’m missing more school. Dang it!’ 

“Can’t a guy catch a break?” he muttered through foamy lips. 

“Tell me about it. I’m almost out of camembert!” 

“Is that all you talk about?” Adrien sneered, making a show of spitting his toothpaste into the sink frustratedly. 

“Teenagers. So moody!” 

Moving to the dresser, Adrien picked out a black tracksuit. Sweatpants may not be allowed, but athleisure was deemed acceptable for a car ride to the studio. He picked out a pair of slip-on Vans – after all, being able to change in and out of outfits quickly was essential for a model. As soon as he’d finished changing, that familiar knocking on his door echoed throughout the room. 

“Coming!” Adrien called, pulling his sleeves down over his wrists to cover up the marks. Undoubtedly Nathalie had heard his father’s scolding for the bruises, but Adrien really didn’t feel like having to address it again. Opening his door, he followed Nathalie through the halls of the mansion. 

When the door of the dining room swung open, Adrien was startled to see Gabriel sitting at the far end of the table. Being joined by his father at meals so many times within such a small period of time was unprecedented, and the boy didn’t know whether to be excited or scared. 

“Sit, Adrien.” 

As per usual, the younger Agreste did what Gabriel instructed. 

“Good morning, Father.” 

“Let’s save the chit chat,” the older Agreste’s tone was as cold as always, “I’m sure you understand how important the photoshoot today is.” 

“Yes, Father.” Adrien shrank into himself, using his breakfast as an excuse not to meet his father’s gaze. 

“I expect for you to be at your best today. Mistakes waste everyone’s time.” 

“Yes, Father. I won’t disappoint you.” 

“Good.” With the conversation apparently over, Gabriel started to discuss logistics with Nathalie. 

Adrien felt uneasiness settle back into his stomach as he eyed over his food. The omelet in front of him looked less than appetizing after what seemed like the weight of the world had been placed on his shoulders. ‘If I screw it up, Father’s campaign will be ruined and then he’ll be so disappointed and then he’ll pull me out of school. I’ll be locked in my room forever! I can’t mess this up. I can’t mess this up. I can’t mess this up!’ 

At the sound of his stomach growling, the boy forced down a few forkfuls of food. His mind flashed back to two days prior when he was bent over a trashcan at the front of the classroom. ‘If I throw up again, that’ll definitely ruin the shoot!’ Adrien’s thoughts spiraled until he set down his fork. So much for Plagg’s advice. 

“Are you finished?” Nathalie asked. 

“Y-yes.” The boy inwardly scolded himself for stammering. 

“Let’s go then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY i haven't updated this in 11 days. i always say imma try to update faster and then i never do :,( anyways here's some adrienette fluff! it was hard to come up with how marinette would text. part of me feels like she'd have lots of typos and accidentally use all caps but then the other part of me thinks she'd check over her text like seven times before she sent it. btw tysm for over 5k hits :0


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